8 Gimmicks From The Past That Wouldn't Work In Today's WWE
2. The All-American Babyface
In the internet era of the smart mark, wrestling fans have become cynical, jaded, and generally a lot harder to please as a result. Case in point - the flag-waving patriot.
Once upon a time, simply waving 'Old Glory' for all to see would incite thunderous chants of "USA" from any city in the United States. From Sgt Slaughter and Hulk Hogan in the '80s to Lex Luger and The Patriot in the '90s, nothing screamed "All-American Babyface" quite like the red, white and blue. In fact, people like 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan made an entire career out of just that.
Nevertheless, when the Attitude Era hit like an asteroid in '98, the wrestling landscape changed forever. The new American heroes had replaced the "USA" chants with four letter words and quit waving the 'Star-Spangled Banner' in favour of chugging American beer. Kurt Angle even used this fact to his advantage and exploited his status as a true American hero - a man who won gold for his country - to get over as a heel.
In the increasingly global world of WWE, the All-American good guy, fighting for the USA is becoming less prominent as the years progress. While US patriotism does appear in existing stars like John Cena, it's rarely used as the focal point of a gimmick.